U.S. Fire Administration/National Fire Data Center

Residential Fires and 

Child Casualties

Topical Fire Research Series, Volume 5 – Issue 2

April 2005
T O P I C A L F I R E R E S E A R C H S E R I E S


Residential Fires and Child Casualties 

April 2005 Volume 5, Issue 2 

Findings

■ In 2002, an estimated 2,490 children age 14 or younger were injured or killed in 

residential fires. Fifty-six percent of child fire casualty deaths were under the age of 5. 

■ Fires and burns were the third leading cause of unintentional fatal injuries 

to children age 14 or younger in 2002. They were the third leading cause of 

unintentional injuries to infants and the 12th overall cause of unintentional injuries 

to children age 14 or younger, accounting for 121,000 injuries in 2002. 

■ Arson, open flame, and heating were the leading causes of fires resulting in child 

fire deaths in 2002. Open flame, arson, and cooking were the leading causes of 

fires resulting in child fire injuries. Child playing fires were not a significant cause of 

either deaths or injuries among children in 2002. 

■ Upholstered furniture, cooking materials, bedding, and mattresses were the 

primary materials first ignited in fires that resulted in child casualties. 

Unintentional injuries1, 2 are a leading cause of death and injuries among children.The Centers for Disease 

Control (CDC) estimated that fires and burns were the third leading cause of unintentional fatal injuries to children 

age 14 or younger in 2002. Fire and burns were the third leading cause of unintentional injuries to infants and the 

12th overall cause of unintentional injuries among children age 14 or younger, accounting for 121,000 injuries in 

2002.3 

An estimated 1,930 children age 14 or younger were injured and 560 were killed in residential fi res in 2002.4 

Of these fire casualties, 48% were under the age of 5 and 70% were under the age of 10. 

CAUSES OF RESIDENTIAL FIRES WITH CHILD CASUALTIES 

As shown in Figure 1, arson was the leading cause of residential structure fires that resulted in one or more 

child fatalities (30%), followed by open fl ame fires (28%) and heating fi res (17%).5, 6, 7 For all residential fatalities, 

the leading cause of fatal residential fires was arson (22%), followed by smoking (21%) and open fl ame (15%). 

The leading cause of all fires that caused injuries in the home in 2002 was cooking (29%). For fires that resulted 

in injuries to one or more children, however, the leading fi re cause was open flame (25%), followed by arson (21%) 

and cooking fi res (20%) (Figure 1). 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security • Federal Emergency Management Agency 

United States Fire Administration • National Fire Data Center 

Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727 

http://www.usfa.fema.gov/inside-usfa/nfdc/pubs/tfrs.shtm 

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FIGURE 1. CAUSES OF RESIDENTIAL FIRES WITH CHILD CASUALTIES (2002)


DEATHS INJURIES 

Incendiary/Suspicious 

Children Playing 

Smoking 

Heating 

Cooking 

Electrical Distribution 

Appliances 

Open Flame 

Other Heat 

Other Equipment 

Natural 

Exposure 

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 

29.8 

4.3 

17.0 

2.1 

0.0 

27.7 

12.8 

0.0 

0.0 

0.0 

0.0 

6.4 

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 

21.1 

6.0 

4.0 

5.6 

19.5 

2.4 

6.0 

25.1 

9.2 

0.4 

0.0 

0.8 

Adjusted Percent Adjusted Percent 

Source: NFIRS 5.0 

WHAT ARE CHILDREN DOING WHEN THEY ARE INJURED? 

Figure 2 illustrates the leading activities of children prior to their injuries in 2002. Approximately 55% of 

children who were killed by fire in residential structures were asleep at the time of the fi re.Twenty-six percent 

were trying to escape when they died, 9% acted irrationally, and 9% were classified as unable or “too young to act,” 

which implies that the child did not understand what was happening around him or her and probably did not take 

meaningful action to escape the fire. For those children injured, 35% were trying to escape, 27% were asleep, and 

16% were attempting to control the fi re. 

FIGURE 2. ACTIVITY AT TIME OF RESIDENTIAL CHILD CASUALTIES (2002) 

DEATHS INJURIES 

Sleeping 

Escaping 

Irrational Act 

Unable To Act 

Returning Before Fire Controlled 

Fire Control 

Other Action 

Rescue Attempt 

Returning After Fire Control 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 

25.8 

9.1 

9.1 

1.5 

0.0 

0.0 

0.0 

0.0 

54.5 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 

26.5 

34.6 

3.6 

3.6 

2.6 

16.2 

11.3 

1.3 

0.3 

Adjusted Percent Adjusted Percent 

Source: NFIRS 5.0 

WHAT GETS IGNITED? 

Bedding and upholstered furniture were the materials first ignited in 38% of fatal child fi res. Lighters and 

candles were the primary heat sources for these fires. In 28% of fires involving child injuries, the leading materials 

ignited were soft goods, such as mattresses, bedding, clothing, curtains, and other fabric. As with the bedding and 

upholstered furniture fires, lighters and candles were the primary heat sources for these fires. Cooking materials 

were ignited in 18% of fires that injure children. Heat from operating equipment was the primary cause of these 

cooking materials fi res. 

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TIME OF YEAR 

Similar to the trends seen in fires that cause adult fire casualties, peak months for fires that cause child casualties 

were the winter months, December through February, as shown in Figure 3. These increases are consistent with 

general trends, where winter sees an increase in structural fires, many of which are caused by heating. As expected, 

during the winter months there were an increased number of heating fires with child casualties. Also, for child 

injuries during the summer months, June through August, open flame and cooking were the leading causes of fi res 

resulting in child injuries.This may be due to the increased use of outdoor barbecues and fireworks during this time. 

0 4 8 12 16 

January 

February 

March 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August 

September 

October 

November 

December 

0 4 8 12 16 

FIGURE 3. MONTHLY INCIDENCE OF RESIDENTIAL FIRES WITH 

CHILD CASUALTIES 

Adjusted Percent 

DEATHS INJURIES 

Adjusted Percent 

15.4 

12.1 

9.9 

5.5 

5.5 

5.5 

7.7 

3.3 

5.5 

7.7 

9.9 

12.1 

9.5 

9.8 

7.0 

7.2 

7.5 

6.4 

8.2 

8.0 

6.7 

8.5 

11.3 

9.8 

Source: NFIRS 5.0 

AGE 

In most years, the younger the child, the higher the likelihood that he/she would die in a fi re caused by 

children playing with fire-starting materials. In 2002, however, the data contradict this pattern. Several factors could 

be responsible for this change. For example, more lighters today are childproof and, because the per capita incidence 

of smoking has decreased, fewer fire-starting materials are available in the home. It is also possible that the leading 

causes of fi re—open flame and incendiary fires—were miscategorized and were actually caused by children playing. 

Further, an increase in education programs targeted specifically to both young children and their caregivers have 

probably had a positive effect. Nevertheless, child playing fires were not reported as a significant cause of either 

deaths or injuries among children in 2002. Regardless of the cause of fire, the youngest children were most likely to 

account for child deaths. In 2002, 56% of all child fire deaths were under age 5 and 80% were under age 10 (Table 

1). At younger ages, casualties tend to be fatalities rather than injuries as these children tend to be more vulnerable 

to the effects of fi re. 

TABLE 1. RESIDENTIAL CHILD FIRE CASUALTIES (percent)


Age Group 

0–4 

5–9 

Deaths 

55.6 

24.6 

Injuries 

46.0 

20.9 

Combined 

Casualties 

48.1 

21.7 

10–14 

Total 

Source: NFIRS 5.0 

19.7 

100.0 

33.1 

100.0 

30.2 

100.0 

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EXAMPLES 

Newspaper headlines tell of tragic fires that kill or injure children.The following are a few recent examples: 

• 	March 2005:Three unattended children, ages 2–6, died in a fire in Harris County,Texas. Fire was started by 

a burning candle in the apartment where the electricity had been turned off.

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• 	March 2005: One 10- and two 14-year old girls died in an early morning fire in Indianapolis that is 

believed to have been caused by work on the gas line near their home a week earlier.Temperate weather 

delayed use of the home’s heating system until the evening before they died.9 

• 	February 2005:Three small children in Milroy, Indiana, died in a blaze that occurred while they were 

sleeping.Three other children and an adult survived the fire, which was possibly started by electric space 

heaters.

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• 	January 2004: Four young children and a woman in Michigan perished in an early morning fire that started 

in the kitchen of a rental house where they were trapped behind security bars.The fi re blocked the front 

door, the home’s only means of egress.

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CONCLUSION 

Fires involving children are tragic and often preventable. Children are some of the nation’s most vulnerable 

residents and merit special attention to reduce their risk of injury or death from fire. Gains have been made in 

reducing fire deaths and injuries among children, yet large numbers of young children continue to die from fi rerelated injuries each year. 

Appropriate oversight of children of all ages is one of the most effective means of preventing injury or death 

from all sources. A number of resources are available to help address the fire problem for children. Because children 

account for 15% to 20% of fire deaths and 14% of fire injuries, the USFA has been working toward the goal of 

reducing fire deaths and injuries to children. A number of resources to help address the fire problem for children 

and adults are available. USFA’s fire safety campaign for babies and toddlers at http://www.usfaparents.gov/ 

provides parents with home strategies ranging from the control of matches and lighters to home escape planning. 

To request additional information or comment on this report, visit 

http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/feedback 

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Notes:
 1	 From the National Safety Council, “unintentional injury” is the preferred term for accidental injury in the public health 

community. It refers to the result of an accident. Specifically, unintentional injuries are those considered to have occurred 

without the intent of doing harm. Intentional injuries are those that have been purposely infl icted whether by oneself 

or another. In general, the terms “accidents” and “safety” have been replaced by the currently more acceptable terms 

“unintentional injuries,” “injury prevention,” and “injury control.” 

2 Arson, with or without intent to injure a person, is considered a homicide and is not included in counts of unintentional 

injuries. 

3 Unintentional injury estimates are from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control’s Web-based Injury Statistics 

Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/. 

4 Loss estimates are based on 2002 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data and national residential structure fi re 

loss estimates from the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) Fire Loss in the United States During 2002. 

5	 Distribution statistics are based on data from the NFIRS 2002. At the time of this report, NFIRS continues to transition from 

version 4.1 to 5.0. Due to issues related to accurately converting version 4.1 data to version 5.0, this report is based on data 

reported only in version 5.0. 

6	 Percentages on each chart are rounded to one decimal point.Textual discussions cite these percentages as whole numbers.Thus, 

13.4% is rounded to 13% and 13.5% is rounded to 14%. 

7 	 The “open flame” category includes torches, candles, matches, lighters, open fire, ember, ash, rekindled fi re, backfi re from 

internal combustion engine as source of heat. For fires that resulted in one or more child fatalities and for fires that resulted in 

one or more child injuries in 2002, candles were the primary open fl ame source. 

8	 Paige Hewitt and S. K. Bardwell, “Pair charged in 3 girls’ fi re deaths,” Houston Chronicle, March 16, 2005, 

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3087415. 

9	 Terry Horne and Stuart Hirsch, “Near-Northside fire kills 2 sisters, cousin,” The Indianapolis Star, March 14, 2005, 

http://www.indystar.com/articles/7/229091-8527-009.html. 

10	 Jon Murray and Tom Spaulding, “Tiny town mourns deaths of 3 small children in fi re,” The Indianapolis Star, February 24, 2005, 

http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/224723-5450-009.html. 

11	 “Woman, 4 children die in fi re,” The Detroit News, January 26, 2004, 

http://detnews.com/2004/metro/0401/27/c02-45346.htm. 

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